The leadership of the Accord Party in Oyo State has issued a strong warning to one of its governorship aspirants, Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat, urging him to desist from what it described as politics driven by bitterness, violence, intimidation and disregard for party authority.
The warning followed an alleged disruption of the party’s screening exercise for House of Assembly aspirants in Ibadan, an incident the party leadership said was carried out by political thugs allegedly sponsored by the governorship hopeful.
The development was made public in a statement jointly signed on Thursday by the Oyo State Chairman of ACCORD, Prince Kolade Ojo, and the State Secretary, Hon. Olayinka Dairo.
According to the party executives, the screening exercise had been well organised and peaceful before the disruption allegedly orchestrated by hoodlums linked to the aspirant. The leadership condemned the incident and warned against actions capable of tarnishing the image and democratic structure of the party ahead of future political activities in the state.
The statement accused Hamzat of attempting to dictate to party executives, showing disrespect to the State Working Committee and allegedly trying to usurp the powers and responsibilities of the party leadership.
The ACCORD leadership stressed that no individual aspirant is bigger than the party and reiterated the importance of respecting internal democratic structures.
“No aspirant is superior to the party. Party supremacy must be respected because our party is known for discipline, internal democracy and orderliness,” the statement emphasized.
Party officials further described the alleged violence that occurred at the venue of the exercise, the Grand Serene Hotel in Ibadan, as unfortunate and unacceptable. They alleged that female staff members of the hotel were assaulted during the disturbance, while several items within the facility were vandalized.
The leadership labeled the incident as barbaric, despicable and embarrassing for a political party that prides itself on discipline and responsible conduct.
“We expect some level of decency, civility and responsible conduct from a person seeking to lead, but these are lacking,” the statement added.
Beyond the reported violence and destruction of property, the party leadership also frowned at what it described as an invasion of the privacy of hotel guests and the alleged theft of personal valuables belonging to some occupants of the hotel during the chaos.
Prince Kolade Ojo and Hon. Dairo vowed that the party would pursue appropriate legal action against those allegedly involved in the incident in order to ensure justice for victims and prevent future occurrences.
The statement further revealed that the party secretary, Hon. Olayinka Dairo, personally experienced threats during the disturbance. Recounting his ordeal, Dairo alleged that an aspirant for the Oyo State House of Assembly from Ibadan North Constituency II, identified as “Olacash,” threatened to kill him after properties within the hotel were vandalized.
The party leadership maintained that politics should not be reduced to violence, intimidation and destruction, warning that such actions undermine democratic values and peaceful political participation.
Political observers in Oyo State say the development highlights growing tensions within political parties as preparations for future elections continue to gather momentum across the state. Analysts have repeatedly called on political actors to embrace issue-based campaigns, respect party structures and avoid inflammatory actions capable of triggering unrest.
The incident has also renewed conversations around the need for political discipline and internal conflict resolution mechanisms within parties, especially as aspirants intensify consultations and grassroots mobilization ahead of the next electoral cycle.
As of the time of filing this report, there had been no official public response from Alhaji Oriyomi Hamzat regarding the allegations contained in the statement issued by the Oyo ACCORD leadership.
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